Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIREOne of the most exciting young players in baseball is Millville's Mike Trout

Ed Murray/The Star LedgerMillville mayor Tim Shannon's office is awash in Mike Trout memorabilia, including this little league home run ball signed by the Angels' star

The ceremony is short but heartfelt. On the steps of City Hall, Millville Mayor Tim Shannon grabs a microphone and introduces the preacher from the Baptist church.

“We’re so grateful to live in this land that you have blessed so richly,” the preacher says in prayer, the portable speakers crackling.

“And we are grateful for men like Gabe Solazzo, who have volunteered to serve this nation. And it’s so great to have him back with us.”

Solazzo, 21, but so fresh-faced he could pass for 16, is the 50th American serviceman from Millville since 2004 to be treated to one of these “Welcome Home” ceremonies.

He poses for pictures as he is handed a couple of certificates and, best of all, a basket of candy from the mayor’s assistant. Now a senior airman in the U.S. Air Force, Solazzo is back from Southwest Asia. He has two years in the military and explains his reason for enlisting: “I started out in construction,” he says. “But with the economy, there was no work. My dad suggested the military. Now, I see this as my future.”

When asked to say a few words to the 30 or so friends and neighbors who are in attendance for his Welcome Home, Solazzo only asks for a moment of silence for Millville police officer Christopher Reeves, a former U.S. Marine from Millville who was killed in a car accident in the early morning hours last Sunday.

That perspective is not lost on this day, because later on, halfway across the country, Millville’s favorite son and a hero to many, Mike Trout, the 20-year-old rookie outfield phenom for the Los Angeles Angels, would play in the first of what some expect will be many major-league All-Star Games. And the city would celebrate.

It’s okay. Because in this city of 28,000, perspective is everywhere. Once home to three major glass manufacturers, Millville — which sits in Cumberland County, about 40 miles west of Atlantic City — has been dealing with hard times.

There’s rampant unemployment throughout the county, which has led to tension and crime. It’s been crushed by three storms in rapid succession, leaving a number of homes in a state of disrepair.

Which is why when the sun set on this muggy Tuesday, Shannon, a funeral director who drives a pickup truck, sports a biker-style Fu Manchu mustache and talks in a loud voice with a distinctly Southern twang (“Well, I am from South Millville!” he shouts when asked about it), was happy to make some celebratory rounds with fellow townies.

“Might even have a sarsaparilla or two,” he says. “This is a big night for our town.”

The locals gathered at Sidelines Sports Bar on Sharp Street, and at the Elks Lodge on East Broad Street, where they’re selling red “Hooked on Trout” T-shirts at a pace they cannot keep up with. To say that Trout’s just a kid who grew up here would be an understatement, says Shannon.

“There are a lot of good people in this city,” says Shannon.
“People who look out for each other in a small-town kind of way. And Mikey … that’s what he stands for. I can’t tell you how many times he’s said to me that he’ll never forget where he came from.

“He grew up with a smile on his face, fishing on Union Lake. The typical little red-ass kid who never saw the negatives, or never cared about them. He loves this place, and, man, is he loved. I’m telling you, what he’s doing has put a spring in a lot of people’s steps around here.”

Shannon lived next door to the Trouts and says, “He put some dents in my siding, hitting Wiffle balls all day long, that little dirtball.” He calls himself buddies with Mike’s father, Jeff — a former minor-league player in the Twins organization who is a history teacher at Millville High — and his mother, Debbie, who is a preschool teacher’s aide.

Family vacations for Shannon have evolved since Trout signed with the Angels in 2009, from a trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to see Mike in his first summer of Single-A ball, to Phoenix to see him in the Arizona Fall League, to Baltimore this past June, when close to 1,000 Millvillians turned a section of Camden Yards into a cheering section for Trout.

It was during that series with the Orioles that Trout made a catch that has been shown over and over again on ESPN, jumping so high his entire upper torso was above the wall, taking a sure home run away from Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy.

Shannon’s sidekick, Vice Mayor Joe Derella, who was one of Mike’s youth sports coaches, says, “Any of us who saw Mikey play basketball weren’t surprised by that. We know how high he can jump.”

TALES ABOUND

The Paul Bunyan-type stories about Trout are abundant in this town. A trip to Millville High’s baseball field, where a group of grade school campers have gathered to play ball, brings stories of Trout’s New Jersey-record 18 home runs in 21 games his senior year.

“The first day of camp, I asked the kids if they’ve been watching the Phillies, since that’s really our local team,” says Travis Laferriere, who coaches at nearby Schalick High. “And the kids were like, ‘Nah, we watch the Angels.’ They make a catch and they shout, ‘Mike Trout! Mike Trout!

’ It’s contagious and it’s great. I mean, he’s from Millville. You never hear of kids from this area making it. It’s incredible the things he’s doing.”

A trip to the Little League field brings about tales of a 9-year-old Trout playing a mean shortstop and dominating kids two and three years older.

“We all said, ‘That kid’s got something,’ ” recalls Tim Ahlquist, who was a senior at Millville when Trout was a sophomore. There’s just something in that kid. And he hasn’t changed a bit. When he’s home, we’re at his house playing ping-pong, or we’re at the gym playing basketball. He’s loved not only because he’s great, but because he’s just Mikey.”

And the rally only grows stronger. Shannon’s office in City Hall is adorned with all sorts of Trout memorabilia, including a signed, framed Angels jersey and a home run ball from a Little League game that Shannon’s wife tucked away and recently had Trout sign. At the Elks Lodge, men in their 60s, 70s and 80s wear Angels gear and talk about the late hours they’ve been keeping, watching Trout’s West Coast games on television.

“You walk in here and everyone knows what Mike did the night before,” says Tim Ayres, the retired city zoning officer, sitting at the bar around lunch time the day of the All-Star Game. “And it’s not just recently. I mean, we’ve been following him so long. I have the hats of his Single-A, Double-A and Triple-A teams. He’s made us all so proud.”

Sitting up straight, Ayres then talks about the town he’s lived in his entire life “except for my years in college and the army,” he said. “It’s a good place, but there are a lot of people out of work, so it’s changed a lot over the years. But we’re trying to be upbeat.”

Later that night, Trout was introduced as an All-Star, then made his presence felt with a single off the Mets’ R.A. Dickey, and a prompt steal of second. There were high-fives and fist pumps all around Millville.

Tonight, some will make the 2½-hour trip north to Yankee Stadium to see their Boy Wonder in person. Others will stay back and watch on television. All will be grateful to have a local kid they can be so proud of.

“We’ve had the perfect storm of bad things happen to us here,” says Shannon. “The downturn in the economy, the housing market, everything. We’ve lost so many jobs around here. This kid, he is giving up something positive to draw on. You know what I mean? It’s like suddenly, not everything in Millville is bad.” Shannon then pauses.